Steelers' Drew Allar Reveals Mindset After 2-Minute Drill Failure

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their preseason finale to the Buffalo Bills by a final score of 28-27. Quarterback Drew Allar had a rough game, as he completed only 50% of his passes for 88 yards. Like the previous game, the rookie had to deal with constant pressure and his receivers dropping passes, although he did manage to avoid being sacked. He only led one scoring drive, although more than half of the yards came from the running game, as Eli Heidenreich was able to punch the ball in for the score. 

After the Bills took the lead with 66 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, everyone was excited to see what Allar could do in the two-minute drill. It was not great for his first experience in this scenario. He threw three short, quick passes, and only one of them was caught. On 4th-and-7, there appeared to be some sort of miscommunication as his deep pass was nowhere close to being caught. 

In his postgame press conference, Allar spoke about that two-minute drill and what he has taken away from it.

"I felt comfortable operating out there. Obviously, it did not go the way that we wanted to, in terms of going down there and winning the game, but I felt confident with the operation and all the guys that were out there..." Allar said. "On that last play, I just got to give Lake [McRee] a better chance to come down with that ball. As much as we wanted to go down and win the game, it's also great things to learn from, especially speaking for myself, just being in different situations and gaining experience in those."

As easy as it is to joke about Allar's struggles in the clutch, it's important to remember that he is a rookie and a project. Nobody is expecting him to be a good quarterback immediately, and he will get plenty of chances to show what he can do, especially during the two-minute drill. Besides, this first year should be about improving his mechanics, as opposed to making big plays and getting on the highlight reel. 

Obviously, that 4-and-out drive to end the game is not good, but as he mentioned, it's just something to learn from. Whenever the Steelers are satisfied with his technique and physical improvements, then they will help teach him how to properly handle these different kinds of high-pressure situations and work on his mental game. It will eventually come, but not yet. 

2027 will be Allar's first big test. Both veteran quarterbacks are set to be free agents, and Aaron Rodgers has already confirmed that 2026 will be his final season. That means the former third-round pick will get a chance to prove himself as a starter. Even if he wins the job, he likely won't be great in that year, but every experience is another chance to learn so he can be great later on.

Steelers Might Move Allar Up On The Depth Chart Now

After the preseason finale, it was revealed that Will Howard suffered an injury, although the severity of it was not mentioned or speculated on. However, this will give Allar the chance to get some more work with the third-team offense instead of the fourth-team unit. While that doesn't seem like a lot, it is still a big jump, as he will get work with NFL-caliber players, as opposed to a whole unit of practice squad players at best.

If Howard does end up going on IR, it may not necessarily mean that he has a severe injury. There have been rumors of the Steelers possibly looking for any excuse to put a quarterback on Injured Reserve (IR) to avoid having to cut one. This may be their chance to make it happen. It will be to be determined if the Steelers do go this route, but they did this in 2025 with the same player, so it's not unprecedented.

What do you think about Allar's takeaways from his rough two-minute drill? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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